Free AWWA Event!

Thanks to generous sponsor support, OpShow will be offered free to all attendees, providing an unprecedented opportunity to engage, share best practices, and discover practical solutions for continuous improvement.

This program will be virtual. Special elements for operator CEUs, such as session polling, will be incorporated into session. However, not all states will approve OpShow. Please contact your specific licensing agency to become familiar with the requirements for attending an online event. 

Attendee registration will open in late summer 2021. Stay tuned! 

This two-day virtual event is focused on providing practical ideas for water and wastewater system operations, with topics ranging from utility case studies to technology solutions. 

Program details will be released this summer, with topics from the following tracks:

TRACK 1: Water Quality and Treatment

Drinking water treatment plant operators strive to provide the highest quality possible in their delivered product, but they must be tenacious in their approach. This two-day track will explore best practices for protecting and monitoring source water as well as optimizing all aspects of water treatment.

TRACK 2: Distribution and Collection Systems

Preserving and maintaining water distribution and wastewater collection systems are vital for keeping local populations safe and healthy. This two-day track will examine how operators can improve many system components as well as prevent issues that can negatively affect water quality and system reliability.

TRACK 3: Small Systems

Small systems represent a large number of utilities with highly varied characteristics and limited resources. This full-day track will help small system operators and managers meet the challenges they face and find the support they need.

TRACK 4a: Regulatory Challenges

Regulatory actions relating to lead and copper, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), and many other contaminants are among the most-pressing challenges affecting the water sector. This half-day track will examine recent developments that relate to these and other regulatory concerns.

TRACK 4b: Cybersecurity and Emergency Preparedness

Now, more than ever, pressure is on water and wastewater professionals to secure their systems from a wide variety of threats, ranging from devastating cyberattacks to wildfires and other extreme weather events. This half-day track will give operators invaluable guidance to help them keep their systems running.

TRACK 5a: Plant Profiles

Examples of innovation in the water sector abound. This half-day track profiles some of North America’s most innovative water and wastewater treatment plants. Virtual plant tours will be available, giving operators the opportunity to explore some of these unique facilities firsthand.

TRACK 5b: Workforce Strategies

Many of today’s water and wastewater operators will retire in the next few years, creating a shortage of qualified water professionals. This half-day track will offer practical strategies on succession planning, retention, recruitment, and other steps to help prevent the dire consequences of failing to address workforce challenges.

TRACK 6: Industry Insights

The water sector needs to prepare for many complex challenges in the coming years, ranging from rapid urbanization and increasing customer demands to severe climate change and emerging digital technologies. This full-day track will examine these and many other topics to help operators respond to current trends and prepare for future developments.

The AWWA OpShow Virtual Event will take place Nov. 3-4, 2021.

The Call for Abstracts is open. Call for Abstracts will be open until 4 p.m. (MDT) on June 3, 2021. Any submissions provided after the call closes will not be accepted.

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Abstract Topics

Presenter Resources